Editorial.

• Author: Insulza, Jose Miguel
• Position: Editorial

What is the purpose of the Summit of the Americas coming up April 14 and 15 in Cartagena, Colombia? Quite simply, this Summit of the leaders of 34 countries of the Western Hemisphere will reaffirm our common goals, update our regional agenda, and launch new initiatives of international cooperation reflecting our understanding of the urgent needs of our societies. Over the 18 years of Summitry in the Americas, our unique brand of reflection among leaders and common action matured and is now embedded in a constructive web of inter-governmental gatherings on subjects ranging from effective policing to judicial reform; from job creation to infrastructure; from women's rights to environmental protection. Our regular ministerial-level meetings and specialized working groups create the kind of modern networks that stimulate information sharing and cooperation at the deepest level. A Summit of the Americas innovation, the Joint Summit Working Group, made up of multilateral institutions such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Pan-American Health Organization, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, is led by the OAS and links the decisions made by Summit leaders to the actions taken by each of these institutions. This matrix of inter-governmental networks and multilateral institutions binds the Americas together under the "big tent" of the Summit of the Americas process.

Important voices added to the "big tent" are social actors brought into the Summit conversation through the use of face-to-face and electronic consultations. Our OAS Summit of the Americas Secretariat...